Ice machine



`lune 23, 1942. c. E. LANGGAARD VICE MACHINE Filed June 13, `l941 U )9Eva/U or freezing containers.

Patented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATSI PATNT OFFICE ICE MACHINE Carl E.Langgaard, Mineola, N. Y., assigner to George G. Sloan, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application June 13, 1941, Serial No. 397,908

5 Claims.

This invention relates to ice machines of the type disclosed in acompanion application Serial Number 397,907 led June 13, 1941 with thisapplication and entitled Ice making apparatus. In said other applicationthere is disclosed an ice machine comprising a rotating barrel withinwhich there are supported Va number of ice cans These latter are filledwith water and brine is circulated through the barrel around thecontainers to freeze the water therein. Said other application alsodiscloses certain improvements in the general operation and constructionof the apparatus and machine in the mechanical features thereof. All ofsuch improvements are applicable to the `instant ice machine and aretherefore not described or illustrated herein. The object of thisinvention is to provide an improved arrangement of the ice cans orcontainers within the rotating barrel whereby to obtain a saving inspace and parts as well as z.

in driving power, and whereby to obtain increased efficiency in thefreezing operation. In said other application the ice cans or containersare arranged within the barrel radially of the central shaft and alsoparallel thereto in rows. This arrangement results in much waste ofspace between the containers. In the instant application the containersare quite differently arranged in a manner circumferentially of the axisof rotation of the barrel which is not suggested nor taught by saidother application. In the accompanying drawing illustrating theinvention- Fig. 1 is an end view of the machine with details omitted.

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section.

The machine comprises a barrel shaped housing 3 having two irregularlyshaped end walls 4 and 5. Within the barrel there are suitably supporteda number of ice cans or freezing containers in sets of four in a planeat'right angles to the central driving shaft 6. Each set of cans ismarked l, 8, 9, and I0. The longitudinal axes H of the containers are atright angles to each other and tangential to a circle drawn about thecentral shaft with a radius greater than one half the width of thecontainer as indicated by the circle marked l2. 'I'hus the containersare arranged with the bottom I3 of each parallel to the side I 4 of theadjacent container or can.

Each container has a top ange l5 which rests ing twenty-eightcontainers. The machines may of course be longer or shorter for whatevercapacity desired. Cooling brine is supplied at I1 to the hollow centralshaft 6 from which four radially disposed supply pipes I3 supply brineto longitudinal spray pipes I9 having suitable` branches 20 with outlets2| for spraying the brine into the barrel around the containers. Thereturn circuit of the brine is through the central shaft through holes22 therein and out at the end 23. A plug 24 in the shaft separates thecircuits.

In operation the barrel is rotated stepwise a quarter of a revolution tobring a row of containers uppermost to be filled with water, the coversbeing open as shown. Thereafter the covers are closed and locked andthen another quarter of a revolution brings the next row of containerson top into water receivingposition and so on. When all the containersare filled the barrel and pipes are rotated by a gear 25 for instance,the shaft 6 being supported in bearings as indicated at 26. During therotation the brine is circulated as described. When the ice has beenformed within the containers the machine is stopped in the positionshown in Fig. 1. The covers in the bottom row are opened and the iceblocks slide out. The barrel rotates preferably in the direction of thearrow 28. The covers remain open until the empty containers come to thewater receiving position.

The arrangement of the ice containers is very advantageous in that itpermits of a very compact structure with no waste space between thecontainers such as exists when they are arranged radially about the axisof rotation. As stated above all the parts necessary for operating themachine and not herein referred to are disclosed in the said otherapplication and omitted herein. This application is concerned solelywith the novelty and usefulness of the structure illustrated.

In defining the novel arrangement of the containers in sets of four in asingle plane it may be said that the containers thus arranged form thepattern of a four winged wind mill.

I claim:

1. In an ice machine of the character described a rotatablebarrel-formed housing, a plurality of freezing containers, means forsupporting the same within said housing in sets of containers spacedside by side longitudinally of the axis of rotation of said housing, thecontainers in each set being arranged equidistantly circumferentially ofsaid axis with the bottom of each container in substantially parallelrelation to the side of an adjacent container in the same set.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which each of said containers has alongitudinal axis, the axes in each set of containers being located in asingle plane at right angles to the said axis of rotation.

3. A machine according to claim l in Which the said containers openoutward from said housing.

4. A machine according to claim 1 in Which l0 each set of saidcontainers consists of four containers positionedl circumferentiallyabout the said axis of rotation to form the pattern of the wings of afour winged wind mill, said containers opening outwardly from saidhousing.

5. A machine according to claim 1 including means for applying arefrigerant externally of said containers and circulating therefrigerant through the said housing.

CARL E. LANGGAARD.

